The Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization (EMEDO) is a public interest organization based in Mwanza, Tanzania. EMEDO hosts the secretariat of the African Network of Women Fish Processors and Traders (AWFISHNET), and thus act as project holder for this collaboration.
AWFISHNET is a nascent continental network of women fish workers that operates as a non-profit, non-political and non-religious organization, formed in April 2017. The network is composed of 28 national-level members from across Africa. Those members are the national women fish workers’ associations in the respective countries. In some of the member countries this type of organization does not exist yet, or is not well organised, and one of the objectives of AWFISHNET is to facilitate the process of formation or strengthening of such organizations.
Our collaboration: This project envisages to support building a gender-fair society and a gender-responsive fishery in Africa that recognize, utilize and enhance women’s potentials and capabilities in the fisheries sector for sustainable and equitable development. It will also contribute to enhance knowledge generation and dialogue between policy makers, civil society and scientists in order to develop fisheries and ocean policies that better account for the realities of marginalized coastal people living in poverty, and to help bridge between policy formulation and implementation. The project will specifically strengthen the organizational capacities of women fish workers organizations (national associations) where they already exist, and establish new ones where they do not yet exist. it will also strengthen the internal, institutional and organizational capacities of AWFISHNET and its members for effective engagement in policy processes and methods which contribute to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, food security, equity and sustainable livelihoods.
